WC Iowa News

Despite Iowa's reopening and lifting some pandemic restrictions, nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Carroll County and throughout the state will remain under tight guidelines as local health officials keep an eye on the COVID-19 cases and data. 

According to a June 26 report in the Carroll Times Herald, more than 282,000 people in the state have had coronavirus testing with 27,555 testing positive and 73 positive cases in Carroll County being recorded as of June 26. 

The Carroll County Public Health office has said it is taking extreme caution in regard to lifting restrictions for nursing homes and assisted living facilities in an attempt to protect the residents from exposure to the virus. 

“As anxious as families are to reunite with their loved ones, it is important for everyone to remain patient and understand the process must be done in a thoughtful, safe manner,” the Carroll County Public Health office said in an update announcement, according to the Carroll Times Herald article. “Each facility in our region may be on a different schedule for reopening.”

Health officials will use a variety of data to determine its restriction decisions according to the article which include the facility's staffing levels, PPE supplies, ability to provide isolation and virus case numbers.